REDDING, Calif. - The men's late rally came up short against Pacific Union College tonight in a midweek nonconference matchup as they fell, 79-72. 

Jace Mills got Simpson on the board in its second offensive possession as he converted on a layup in the paint as he proved to be a one-man wrecking crew to begin the game. 

Mills scored the Red Hawk's first six points of the game as he tied the game at six with a layup before a couple of free throws by Timothy Parker retied the game at eight. 

Simpson took its first lead of the game with just over six minutes left after Mills converted on two free throws to give Simpson the 24-23 advantage. 

A free throw by Kellen Torrey rounded out the scoring for the first half as the Pioneers held the 31-29 lead to go into the half. 

Mills had a big first half as he notched a team-high 10 points as he shot 4-5 from the floor. 

The Pioneers continued to stay hot as they grew its largest lead of the night to 18 points with just over 13 minutes left in the game. 

Pacific Union held total control as they retained a 14-point lead with just over three minutes left. 

But the Red Hawks refused to go quietly as they came storming back as a jumper by Parker got things rolling for Simpson as they went on a 9-0 run


A steal and layup by Derek Gorden followed by another bucket by Parker pulled Simpson within eight before  Drey Ubas nailed a three to cut the Pioneer lead to five with just over two minutes left in the game. 

A huge steal by Kellen Torrey as he intercepted a long pass led to another three-ball by Ubas to pull Simpson within two with a minute and a half left to play. 

However, a travel and technical foul by Simpson allowed the Pioneers to regain a seven-point lead with 40 seconds left. 

The Red Hawks went on a fierce 14-2 run in the waning minutes as they nearly pulled off a thrilling comeback. 

Drey Ubas had a team-high 18 points as he proved to be lethal from beyond the arc by shooting 60% from the three. Ubas caught fire in the second half as he posted 15 points while going 5-6 from downtown. 

Jace Mills had a solid game in the paint as he followed close behind with 17 points and three rebounds while shooting 6-8 from the floor. 

Timothy Parker just missed a double-double as he posted eight points to go along with a team-high 10 rebounds. 

Simpson looks to bounce back as they host Stanton University on Thursday at 7 pm.